Thursday, January 04, 2007

Allow Me to Elucidate

Yesterday's post generated a lot of questions, my favorite of which was a simple "What? I don't get it." via e-mail from a reader who turned out to be looking at the post as it showed up in Bloglines–with no photographs.

So all she saw was:

WHIRRRR. CLICK. SLURP. TICK-TOCK. SLAP MAH ASS AND CALL ME SALLY!

Which sounds like what you might hear if a robot from Tuscaloosa got overexcited and started to short-circuit. No wonder she was confused.

Now, to answer your questions.

1. The fiber on the spinning wheel is merino roving I got from Rabbitch, who is positively evangelisitic about spreading the joy of living hemmed in on all sides by unspun wool. You know how you're always hearing that merino is terribly hard to spin? Bullshit, kids. Once you get the basics down using something with a longer staple/lower price go ahead and try it. I swear it won't leave scars or frighten the children.

2. The open book in the photograph is Margaret Stove's Creating Original Handknitted Lace and I love it. It takes a lot of the mystery out of not only laying out your own lace designs, but also adapting or creating your own stitch patterns. You could buy it from Amazon, as naughty Danny suggested, or you can buy it from a company that actually gives a damn about knitters and knitting. I suggest either Schoolhouse Press or Halcyon Yarn.

3. The Harley-Davidson mug is there because I am a wild, butch roughneck who likes big, noisy bikes and, not infrequently, the men who ride them. This is, of course, in addition to knitting lace.

4. I do not tease you with my Ashford, Mr. Brinegar. You know perfectly well you're welcome to take it for a spin whenever you like.

5. The blue sock is knit out of some lovely Knitpicks (the first I've ever used) from an Anonymous Donor using a pattern from–oh, what a shock!–Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks. Yes, I know. There are lots of other sock books out there. I've seen them. I'll get around to them. As soon as I'm finished with Charlene. Which is apparently going to take a while.

6. And yes, that's a garter stitch edge on the heel flap. My very, very first sock–my ur-sock, if you will–was knitted from Mary Thomas's gut-wrenching treatise on the subject and had slipped stitches on the heel flap. I find the garter edge feels firmer and, to my eye, is more handsome.

Did I miss anybody? If I did, just yell. I turn 36 in couple of weeks and senility is setting in fast.

[Yep. I forgot Ted's question about the charting software. The software ought to have its own entry, actually–so I'll answer that tomorrow.]

Hey Franklin, can you delete the previous comment? I don't want my addy flapping round in the breeze, and the identity ain't quite right. I just converted, and can't believe it did that.....**goes off cursing blogger yet again**

Girlfriend needs to break away from bloglines once in a while!

I always look first in Bloglines, then if something interests me or I want to comment, I click and read the blog in native mode.

And Huzzah! on spinning merino....I believe it was in fact my first fiber, and 2nd, and third...well you get the idea.

After checking mail, your site is my first stop every day. I love the stories, humor, photos, and drawings. You are a great inspiration.

I am using that same pattern for a pair of socks right now! I also love Charlene's book. I am a relatively new spinner, and messed up my first attempt with merino. Right now, I have coopworth(?) on the bobbins waiting for plying. Now I feel encouraged to try the merino again. Thanks.

bwhahah regarding the 'coming from bloglines'. I had noticed the same thing myself, and I figure that while you were indeed odd, that set of sentences could not possibly be random and unexplained. So I clicked over to the blog and lo, there were pictures. Then things made much more sense.

Sensation Knitted Socks is my sock bible. Then again, I don't have any other sock books - not that I'll need any in the near to distant future! That cabled rib sock is really nice, I'll have to push it up to the top of my sock knitting list! Love your blog, BTW, I'm a new fan from Cast On. :)

Charlene Schurch is a genius - that book is an essential and I'm sorry it took six months of it sitting on my shelf before I finally cracked it open. I've switched over to the garter stitch border on heel flaps, too - it makes it really easy to count the rows, it looks great, and it does feel firmer and more sturdy, you're right.

I'm with Ted, which is to say I'm turning 40 in a couple of months (and dead scared about it), and I choked on whatever I might have been mentally drinking when I read the senility-at-36 bit. I'd loooove to be that young again. I know, I know, I hear the 50+ crowd telling me to shut up. Shutting up now.

I loved the photo spread, by the way. (can one call it a spread if it's arranged vertically?)

I *love* the Margaret Stove lace book - I got it as a Christmas gift, purchased from Needle Arts Book Shop in Canada - they sent along a little Christmas gift with the book, too - Zephyr, lining and pattern to make a lace sachet.

Thanks so much for the elucidation. I will surely be going over the patterns in my copy of C. Schurch's wonderful book to locate the one you used (I heart her and her book too!) and I find you pretty darned adorable as well :-)

I start my weekday mornings reading blogs at the office and at times it can be frustrating when the filters block the pictures. I'd be wondering what yours was about if I'd read your onomatopoetic piece without pictures. Snicker.

My first spinning was merino top too. I think the problem with newbies struggling with it is not knowing what ratio on their wheel to use or preparing the fiber properly. My teacher was very patient and had prepared the top well, but didn't show me adequately how to prepare the fiber before spinning. I'm waiting for the right opportunity to learn that.

I'm anxious to see what software you have. And I'll have to hunt up Margaret Stove's book. Thanks for the info!

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